Mozambique
We are thrilled to receive £50,000 from Blue Marine Foundation's London to Monaco fundraiser. This generous donation will aid our marine conservation efforts in Mozambique immensely. It will be split across three of our projects: sustainable fishing, shellfish farming and baited remote underwater video (BRUV) studies. All of these projects are located in Jangamo, Mozambique, the area Love The Oceans is proposing for better protection. These projects are crucial to inform policy and protect our oceans.
The Sustainable Fishing Project (SFP) is transitioning fishermen from unsustainable net fishing to sustainable rod and line kayak fishing, enabling people to still fish for their families and trade, but do so sustainably and legally - a win for the ocean and the people. The project will see the eventual elimination of net use in the proposed protected area.
To get a better understanding of our ecosystem’s productivity, it’s important to understand meso- and apex predator presence. Through the BRUV study we’ll be able to assess the presence of many of these endangered species, further demonstrating the need for better marine protection.
Our shellfish project involves assessing the possibility of shellfish farming in our area – the only ocean-based harvesting activity women are involved in. This farming could economically empower women alleviating a plethora of social issues they currently face and opening a whole new world of opportunities.
Thank you so much Blue Marine Foundation for your support, the riders for your immense amount of effort both on and off the bike, and everyone who has been involved in this amazing project. We look forward to sharing our progress with you.
Project One: Sustainable Fishing
(Photo credit Jeffrey Garriock for Photographers Without Borders)
Part of the money donated from the London to Monaco fundraiser will go to our Sustainable Fishing Project. This project gives fishermen the opportunity to transition from unsustainable fishing, such as gill netting, to more sustainable methods, such as kayak pole and line fishing. This project is in conjunction with the local fishing communities and is locally led. It will enable the coastal communities of Jangamo to continue harvesting protein from the sea, but allow them to do so in a sustainable and legal manner – a win for the sea, and the people!
This project is based off the coral and fisheries research we’ve collected in the last 8 years. Our coral research has shown we have an imbalance in the marine food web. We don’t have many herbivore species left, but we have lots of carnivores. This is a problem because herbivores are responsible for maintaining reef health, so if there aren’t any left, we could face losing the corals in our area – a crucial nursery ground for commercially important fish species which would reduce food security and poverty levels would skyrocket.
According to our research, a cause of this imbalance is fishing pressure which we could solve by switching fishermen from net fishing to kayak fishing giving the herbivore population a chance to recover. This would also eliminate bycatch and boost coral health which has many knock-on positive effects through the ecosystem.
The funds will be used to extend this project to cover a bigger area and work with more communities – eventually resulting in the elimination of net use throughout the proposed marine protected area!
Project Two: Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUV) project:
Photo credit Love The Oceans
In order to inform our Sustainable Fishing Sroject and further understand the composition and productivity of our local marine ecosystem, we’re also using some of the London to Monaco funding for our Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUV) project. BRUVS are frames with cameras, with a bait box attached at the end of a long pipe. We leave the BRUV and record 7-9hrs of footage. When we retrieve it, we go through the footage and note down meso- and apex predators present. This data is really important to not only get an understanding of the carnivore populations (meso- predators) that are important to our Sustainable Fishing Project, but also the shark populations (apex predators) in the area. Sharks are keystone species which means they keep populations of other animals in check and keep the ecosystem stable. Unfortunately, there’s been an active shark fishery in the area for years – something we’re working to eliminate through the protected area – and this BRUV project will enable us to assess just how depleted our shark numbers are. It’s important to understand the stocks of these animals in the water compared to what is being extracted in the fisheries. This will enable us to determine the local conservation status of these often endangered marine species and regulations like catch limits for the proposed marine protected area.
Project Three: Women's shellfish farming project:
Photo credit Jeff Hester for Photographers Without Borders
The final project we’re working on with Blue is our shellfish farming project which will economically empower women in our area for the first time, giving them an independent source of income to their spouses, and ultimately more control of their lives and options. Historically no women have been involved in the marine space - fishing, diving, ecotourism - in our area due to a combination of factors including lack of access to menstrual products and a patriarchal society designed to create dependence on their male counterparts. This means there is an absence of women in marine conservation meetings which is a problem as they make up 53% of the population locally, so we need their input-on conservation issues, especially as conservation issues are so often closely linked with social issues.
Shellfish harvesting is the only ocean activity women are currently involved with, it’s an age-old practise which we’ll be harnessing with Blue to make into a long-lasting, sustainable source of income for women. It is no secret that female empowerment is a major tool in conservation. Amplifying voices of local women and creating a space for them at the table is key to creating a successful conservation strategy. This project will not only increase food security and therefore reduce poverty, but it’ll create financial independence for many women, opening a whole host of new opportunities.